Breitling Chronomatic 'Surfboard' Chronograph

Dealer description — Analog/Shift

There is perhaps no more versatile complication than the chronograph. From race cars to rocket ships, boats to battlefields, you are likely to find a chronograph being employed to measure a plethora of tasks and times. From the Greek khrónos (“time) and gráphō (“to write”), a chronograph is a watch that has the ability to record time, generally via the addition of small sub-counters that register minutes and hours. When it comes to collecting vintage chronographs, Breitling can be somewhat polarizing. Best known for their Navitimer line of aviation watches, some collectors can find their dials to be too hectic and difficult to read for daily wear. As a result, we feel that Breitling’s chronographs get swept under the table all together. We'd like to change that, and this Chronomatic 'Surfboard' model, is one of the best ways we know how! Dating to circa 1969, this piece features a 38mm stainless steel cushion case with an acrylic crystal, a signed crown, barrel pushers, and a polished bezel. It contains a matte black exotic ‘racing’ dial with applied indices, and a dual-register chronograph layout with a date at 6:00, and a matching handset with a bright orange seconds hand. If this isn’t one of the coolest dials you’ve ever seen, full stop, then we’ll eat our hat! Powered by the infamous Calibre 11 automatic winding movement, it comes paired to one of our Analog:Shift Pitt orange Alpine leather straps with a steel pin buckle. Whether you’re a diehard automotive fanatic or you’re simply on the hunt for an unconventional chronograph, this Breitling is a fantastic piece to snag.